A law firm has secured court permission to cease representing jailed businessman Seán Quinn snr in the legal action aimed at restraining the stripping of up to €430 million assets from the Quinn family’s international property group.

Mr Justice Peter Kelly was yesterday given a letter written by Mr Quinn from Mountjoy Prison Training Unit, where he remains detained on foot of a High Court order jailing him for nine weeks for contempt of court orders restraining stripping of assets.

In the letter, Mr Quinn confirmed he was consenting to Kevin R Winters & Co Solicitors of Queen Street, Belfast, being permitted to cease representing him with immediate effect.

He thanked the law firm and his counsel, Eugene Grant QC, Maddie Grant and Karen Nolan for their “excellent professional service” to date.

In those circumstances, Mr Justice Kelly made an order allowing the lawyers come off record for Mr Quinn. The judge was also told the Official Assignee in bankruptcy did not intend to be involved in the case.

In the action, Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, formerly Anglo Irish Bank, has alleged stripping of assets from the IPG by various members of the Quinn family, including Seán Quinn snr.

Later this week the bank will apply to the judge for permission to cross-examine Mr Quinn’s children and some of their spouses about their assets as part of its efforts to recover assets. That application is being resisted by the Quinn defendants, whose accounts have been frozen also as part of the effort to recover assets.

New lawyers recently came on record for the Quinn children and some of their spouses and they will represent them on Thursday.